The Significance of Autumn
by GraceHcsib
Summary: There's something romantic about the summertime; Lily Evans and Jasper Corner were together all through the warm months. But as the leaves change colour, something inside of Lily changes too. Maybe James Potter is more than just the arrogant boy who likes to play quidditch and argue with her. Maybe there's a real significance of autumn (and all the time afterward).


**A/N**: So I've decided to take another crack at this after deleting the last one. I wasn't fond of Lily and I absolutely hated James. Some plot lines are similar, while others I've decided I'm going to change (although I was only two chapters in, so the ones I changed you mostly didn't see yet). A few things are going to be extremely similar, so I do apologize if there's deja-vu feeling. I would love it if you could review it and let me know what you think, but of course it's not necessary, only if you'd like.

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Start**

Things often never go as one expects. A young witch walks out of her OWLs feeling confident, only to find out months later than she received a T in charms. A wizard finally plucks up the nerve to ask out this cute, blonde girl who sits two seats over from him in potions, because he's confident she was sending him moon-eyes across the Great Hall; she scoffs and rejects his Hogsmeade invitation without a moment's pause. And sometimes, even after preparing for the worst, it still feel like the world shatters when everything goes wrong.

Lily Evans was optimistic about mostly everything, and with good reason. Lily Evans had the best luck of anyone she knew - in fact, whenever she hit another annoyingly long patch of good fortune, her friends called her Lucky Lily. As Lily stepped on the platform to board the Hogwarts Express on September 1st, her intuition - which was also impressively accurate - told her something would change this year. Whether it was the way the wind was blowing or the odd number of people on the platform, Lily could sense the year was not going to end up the way she expected. And for someone with extraordinarily good luck, Lily Evans' seventh year at Hogwarts would turn out to be the best, yet the most world-shattering year she ever had at that magical school.

* * *

James Potter was often as oblivious as humanly possible. For a brilliant wizard, far too many things went straight over his head. James went through the barrier onto the platform on the same September 1st, letting out a loud laugh as he knocked Peter over in order to be the first one through the wall. Everything was always a competition between James and his three best mates: Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin. Even though the wind was blowing just as steadily as it had been for Lily, James had no idea that his seventh year at school would bring anything different than the normal mischief and hilarity. The only noticeable difference to James was the Head Boy badge stashed in a pair of socks in his trunk.

Although, none of James's friends knew about the secret he kept locked away. Remus had spent a great deal of the drive to King's Cross wondering who the Head Boy would be after consulting with the male Hufflepuff prefect of their year, and learning it was neither of them. The only person that knew was Lily Evans - or at least James assumed so, considering his letter contained the information that she had been made Head Girl.

Lily Evans being James's co-Head Student made him feel...antsy. The two had certainly ended sixth year on a bad note. When he bumped into her in Diagon Alley whilst getting school supplies, she claimed it was all water under the bridge, but James was unsure. James had noticed Lily can carry a grudge like no one else he knew, and even though she may say that she forgives James for doing something stupid (like setting her hair on fire), James was certain she'd bring it up at some point. See, the thing about Lily and James - and this was true about Sirius, as well - is that they both had a need to be right about everything. Stubborn and strong-willed, always making sure to get the last word. So when Lily and James argued, it often turned into a yelling match; with James and Sirius, it usually ended with one punching the other in the nose and a good laugh. And it was almost certain they'd have plenty of arguments this year, considering the amount of time they'd be forced to spend together on Head Student duties.

Lily had a personality of fire. She could be really sweet, going out completely of her way for someone else, or the most stubborn, demanding bird in all of England. James had seen both sides, plus many more, of Lily Evans. Her stubbornness drove him up the wall most of the time. Yet, despite that, Lily had James hooked for years. Lily was so magnetic - her flaming hair, emerald eyes, the way she carried herself - and James often wanted to be at her side at every waking moment. Lily made James nervous; not in the stumbling speech, stomach full of butterflies way (okay, sometimes butterflies went a little haywire), but in a way he found it hard to be just James around her. He had a constant need to impress her, mostly subtly, but occasionally very obviously. He never wanted Lily to realize the affect she had on him, so he tried extra hard to focus on the things that drove him crazy and often it resulted in accidental rudeness which, then, started the arguing - it was a vicious cycle. James knew it was going to be incredibly difficult to try and be a good-role model to the younger students while trying to work with a girl who wants to rip his head off.

And that was another thing that James didn't understand: he wasn't, in anyone's standards, a good role-model. It was Remus who had been prefect for two years, not James. Hell, even the Hufflepuff prefect of their year would be better suited for Head Boy (although James would never admit that out loud because pride and such). It made no sense, and a part of him resented Dumbledore for sticking him with this almighty task he was almost certain he'd fail. And James hated failing.

He was nervous for his friends' reactions to the news, and that's why he hadn't told them yet. Peter would be happy for him, Remus would try to pretend he wasn't offended that he wasn't selected, and Sirius would take the piss out of him. When Remus's face had fallen upon opening his letter in the summer to find out he wasn't chosen, Sirius had told him that only prats got Head Boy. James, almost as much as he hated failing, didn't like people thinking he was a prat.

Although none of that was playing through James's mind as he raced down the platform to the area where they could store their trunks, Sirius just beating him by a meter, Remus and Peter coming in after James. Sirius shot a rude hand-gesture at James, laughing, "You owe me a galleon, told you I'd win."

"Oh, sod off, Padfoot. You cheated, hexes aren't allowed!" James said, but there was a grin playing on his lips as he tried to catch his breath.

"Neither is shoving poor Wormtail to get through the barrier, but I don't see Pete complaining." Sirius argued back.

"Actually," Peter said, rubbing his elbow which was bright red from the impact of the ground, "I am complaining. You're both cheaters, so I win." He held out his hand and James, Sirius, and Remus all handed him a galleon, bumbling about losing.

The four boys loaded their trunks onto the train and went to find a compartment on the red, steam engine that would deliver the boys at the castle and despite taking them away from their childhood houses, bring them home.

* * *

"Ginger!" Called a female voice, causing Lily to turn around at the sound of her nickname. Lily knew immediately who was yelling for her, as only one person called her by the colour of her flaming, red hair. Lily smiled as her fellow Gryffindor, and one of her best friends, pushed her trolley towards Lily.

Rose Fletcher was one of the first people that Lily had met at Hogwarts. She was the first girl to talk to Lily once the two of them had been sorted into Gryffindor. They were eleven and Rose looked like she could be in third year, at least. Lily was intimidated by the out-going girl when they had first met, but came to realize that Rose was one of the sweetest girls she knew; but the sweetness was not to be taken for granted, and anyone on her bad side knew that. Rose had the power to make anyone's life hell if they dared to do her wrong. Lily and Rose were polar opposites look-wise. Rose had short, carmel-coloured hairr, tan skin, and light blue eyes. Lily, on the other hand, had long, red hair, was as pale as a ghost, and had green eyes. "Rosie, I missed you!" Lily said to her friend, embracing her in a hug.

Rose lived in northern Ireland, so it was harder for her to visit the girls over the holiday. Lily hadn't seen her friend in almost a month and she was glad that they were finally reunited. When the two girls stepped back from their hug, Lily noticed Rose's twin brother standing a couple paces behind Rose. "Hullo, Mundungus." Lily said, giving him a small wave.

"Hiya, Evans. Where's my hug then?" Mundungus asked, his voice sounding sleezy. Lily had never met a person who scammed students as often as Mundungus. He was always trying to earn a few galleons, but almost always in a dishonourable way. In their fifth year, Dung set up a fund that was supposed to go towards spattergroit victims at St. Mungo's hospital, but instead, he kept all the money for himself and bought various undeserved items. Professor McGonagall was furious when she found out and Mundungus was almost expelled. Dung was nice enough, but he was unreliable and mostly sketchy.

"Sod off, Dunghead." Rose said, turning towards her brother and rolling her eyes. Mundungus shot a retort at Rose and stalked off to find his friends on the platform. Lily always felt a little bit bad for Rose who had to carry Mundungus around as a burden. "So I heard about the good news; Marlene sent me an owl last week.I can't believe you got Head Girl and I can't believe even more that you didn't write to me right away!" Rose said to Lily, who shot an apologetic look back to her friend.

"To be honest, I wasn't going to tell anyone until today, but Marlene found the badge under my bed." Lily was proud of being Head Girl, but she was also very scared about the job she now held. She knew her friends would be supportive, but she still found it daunting to tell them how she, ordinary Lily Evans, was given the highest power a student can hold. Lily took her duties very seriously, which is why she was one of the top academic students of her year, and would be determined to do the best job possible for any task she was assigned. Lily was fairly confident she would do alright as a Head Girl...but she was not to sure about her partner.

Lily's mouth had dropped fully open when she opened her Hogwarts letter to see she had been assigned Head Girl. She nearly fainted when she saw that in small print next to her name, was the name of the last person she'd want to be partners with. Well, the second to last person. James Potter was undoubtedly not who she expected to be Head Boy; hell, Lily would have bet all her money on anyone else being chosen before James Potter. And although Lily had no idea how the partnership would work, she trusted Dumbledore's judgement. At least, that's what she told herself.

James Potter was impulsive and reckless. James Potter was the sort of person to light a someone's hair on fire (which he did) and then blame that person for having flammable hair (which he also did). He made Lily want to be a thousand miles away, but right next to him at the same time. He drove her mad most of the time, but he had the type of personality that made it hard to stay away. And with his three best friends, they were the most talked about, sought after people at Hogwarts. Lily wanted to get along with James - her friends did - but she rowed with him way too often for that to happen.

That made Lily the most nervous about being his partner: what if they argue too much and get kicked out of the position? Lily had never heard of a Head Student being demoted, but it probably happened once or twice. It was unlikely they'd be sacked from being Head Student, but thought of spending all of her time in seventh year fighting with James drove her crazy. Lily took all of her duties seriously, and she was determined to make her time with James tolerable.

"But enough about me, how was your summer?" Lily asked Rose, determined to get the conversation off of her. She was anxious enough about the position and didn't want to spend the whole train ride nauseated with worry every time someone asked her about it.

"Boring as ever." Rose replied, "Have I ever told you how much Ireland sucks?"

"Many times." Lily said, nodding her head at Rose. Lily couldn't help but disagree with her friend, but she stayed quiet. Last Christmas, Rose had taken Lily home for the holiday and Lily was immediately envious of the area Rose grew up in. Lily had spent her childhood in an ugly town called Cokeworth that had very few children to play with, and even less of an area to play on. All the parks were dirty and the stream was covered in rubbish; it was never a wonder to Lily why she didn't feel homesick while at Hogwarts. Rose, on the other hand, grew up in a town that looked like it came straight out of a postcard. The houses were small, completed with snow-lined thatched roofs. An old church sat in the heart of the town, chiming on the hour. But the part Lily envied the most was the number of children playing in their yards, building snowmen and having snow-ball fights. Lily always wanted to have neighbourhood friends growing up, but until she ten, it was mostly just her and her sister, Petunia.

"Let's go to our regular compartment, shall we?" Rose suggested, boarding the steam-engine with Lily in tow. Since the end of term as first-years, Lily and her friends always rode in the same compartment. When Rose and Lily had made their way to the third car, sixth compartment on the left, they saw it was already occupied by a blonde girl, who was chatting animatedly, and a brunette girl, who was listening with only half-interest.

Lily slid open the door with a shout of, "Marlene, Amelia!" And the two girls seated in the compartment rose from their seats to hug the two new occupants of the compartment. Marlene Mckinnon and Amelia Bones were two more of Lily's dorm-mates and best friends. Lily and Marlene had seen each other only three days ago, yet embraced like it had been years. Being on the Hogwarts Express always brought an excited vibe which was infectious to anyone riding the train.

"Congratulations on Head Girl, Lily!" Amelia, the brunette, said, a warm smile on her face. Lily's stomach turned. "I was so proud of you when Marlene owled me! I think we all knew it was going to be you though."

Lily forced a smile, "Thanks Mia. And you're a tart, Marlene, for owling everyone without asking me first."

"That makes me a tart?" Marlene asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. Well no, but it makes you a bad friend." Lily said. Truthfully, she was slightly relieved she didn't have to tell people herself.

Marlene opened her mouth to retort, but Rose cut in, "Does Jasper know?" She asked.

Lily winced, "Not yet."

Marlene just shook her head, "You're a terrible girlfriend."

Lily shrugged, feeling guilty. Jasper Corner was Lily's boyfriend of three months. He had asked her out right before the term ended and she couldn't have been more surprised. She always assumed he was out of her league - well anybody's league really. Jasper was a proper tall, dark, and mysterious bloke and Lily hadn't the slightest clue why he took any interest in her; though, she sure was glad he did. Lily and Jasper had spent most of the summer at his cottage on the Isle of Wight, one of Lily's favourite places in all of Britain. Lily had been more than pleased when he invited her out to his place, mostly because she could spend time with him, though partly to get away from her sister. Lily was certain she'd never feel as peaceful and happy she did that summer with Jasper by her side.

Lily trusted Jasper more than she usually allowed. She could just feel this weird connection with him that she had never felt before. It scared her, but she pushed passed the fear. And even though Lily did trust Jasper, she was still nervous to tell him about her earning Head Girl. Lily was confident he would be ecstatic for her, but she was also certain he wouldn't be pleased with everything the job entails. Especially working with James Potter. Jasper was someone who thrived in the spotlight; he was near the top in all of his classes, he was prefect of his year, quidditch captain for Ravenclaw, and loved to have all attention on him. James Potter was also near the top of all his classes, had just received Head Boy, quidditch captain for Gryffindor, and did anything to turn the focus to him. The pair had clashed heads since first year and Lily was sure Jasper would be furious that James beat him out of Head Boy position.

Running this through her mind, Lily was unsure that her friends knew that James was her partner. Amelia, almost as though reading Lily's mind, asked, "So who's Head Boy? Not Jasper, I suppose, if you haven't talked about it yet."

Lily shook her head, "I wish it was him. It's a Gryffindor."

"Ha, Rose!" Marlene shouted, "You owe me five sickles, I knew it would be Remus."

"Fuck." Rose swore digging through her pockets, "I believed in your boyfriend, Ginger, and he let me down."

"You don't owe her any money. It's not Remus." Lily said. She grinned at her friends' puzzled looks. Of course none of them expected it to be James Potter, he was the complete opposite of what was expected out of a Head Boy.

"It's not Remus?..." Amelia repeated, confused. Lily nodded, "Peter?" She asked.

Rose laughed, "Who in their right mind would make Peter Pettigrew Head Boy?" The girls all murmured their agreement, except for Lily who stayed silent for a moment.

"No one in their right mind would make Peter Head Boy." she repeated, "So whoever made James Potter Head Boy must be completely of their rocker."

Shouts of "You're kidding!" and "Merlin!" came from the three girls. Lily shook her head at her friends, "It's true. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw. Just my luck, yeah?"

"I'm sure it will be fine," Amelia comforted, "You two fight like cats and dogs, but your his friend." Lily raised an eyebrow, "Okay, maybe 'friend' isn't the right word. I just mean you get along better than before."

"Who would've ever thought that James Potter would be Head Boy." Rose said. Lily certainly never would have.

"Maybe it's not that surprising," Marlene said, "He is smart and quidditch captain."

"You're just saying that because you fancy him, there are much better choices for Head Boy." Rose said.

Marlene made a face, "James is like a brother to me, you git. You're just saying that because _you_ fancy Remus."

"Do not!"

Lily sighed, "I'm so glad I get to spend the next ten months with you two." She smiled falsely, then frowned, "Maybe I should go find Potter and congratulate him. I could use a break from you guys already and it hasn't even been fifteen minutes. I'm going to swing by Jasper's compartment, too, so I won't be back for a bit."

"Tell that I say hiya!" Marlene called as Lily got up to leave.

Lily exited her compartment knowing that James and his mates would be in the compartment nearest the food trolley. She headed for the front of the train, bumping into, and saying polite 'hellos' to classmates she hadn't seen all summer. When Lily got to the compartment, she hesitated before knocking. She could see the four boys inside, talking loudly and passionately about only God-knows-what. Maybe girls. Or food. Probably food, because next to Sirius was about every kind of candy imaginable, all four boys reaching from the pile. Shaking her head, but grinning slightly, Lily knocked on the compartment door and slid it open.

"Morning, boys." She said.

"Evans!" Shouted Sirius, and the other three boys gave similar greetings. "What is that on your robes?" He asked, a horrified look on his face, pointing to the Head Girl badge pinned to her uniform, "Evans, they've got you conformed."

"It's disgusting isn't it; rules and standards." She joked with Sirius. Lily always liked Sirius, although he shared certain qualities with his best friend that Lily found aggravating. But he was a good, funny guy, so she could look past it. "It seems, though, that I'm not that only on in this compartment that has fallen under the restraint of school policy." She said, shooting a look at James who looked completely panic-stricken. She furrowed her eyebrows, confused.

"Yeah, Remus." Sirius said, "You and your stupid prefect badge. Merlin knows what would have happened if you were Head Boy. We would never get anyone decent prank done with that weighing on our conscience."

"So what about Pott-" Lily began, but was cut off by James jumping off his seat.

"Evans, can we chat in the corridor for a quick second?" He asked urgently.

"Yeah, of course." Lily said slowly, confused.

She looked at James's friends to see if they knew why the sudden outburst, but they all seemed as confused as her, except for Sirius, who just winked and said, "Don't have too much fun out there." James swatted Sirius on his way passed, and Lily laughed and rolled her eyes.

Once the compartment door was shut, James turned to Lily. The expression in his face was not unlike a deer in headlights. His eyes were wide and nervous, a look she had never quite seen in his confident gaze until then. "They don't know yet." He said and Lily chuckled to herself because if Marlene hadn't already told her friends, she wasn't sure they would know yet, either. Except, James's reason for not telling his friends was probably very different than Lily's.

"Don't want them thinking you've conformed, do you?" She asked.

James shook his head, "It's not that, just please don't tell them."

"They'll know by the feast, Dumbledore always announces it." Lily said.

"I'll just pretend I didn't know or something. I don't want this job."

Lily's stomach dropped. An apathetic James means an unmotivated James. That was exactly what Lily was most nervous for; they hadn't even begun duties yet, but she already felt slightly let down. Lily was determined to be a successful Head Girl, and if that meant forcing James into helping, that's what she would do, "Look, I don't care how or when you tell your mates, but you've been given this job, so you're going to do it properly whether you want to or not." She said firmly.

"Not." He said. That one little word made Lily want to march back into the compartment and spill Jame's secret to his friends.

"Yeah, well tough luck, Potter. There are loads of things I don't want, but I have to put up with them anyway. Hell, you set my hair on fire last year."

James made a noise, "Merlin, I knew you'd bring that back up. It was an accident, alright?" Lily glared at him, "Fine," He said, "I'll do it properly or whatever, just please don't tell my mates."

Lily stared for a moment, then nodded, "Okay, I won't." She paused, "We're going to have to spend a lot of time together this year, you and I."

"Don't remind me."

Lily crossed her arms, "See, I knew this was going to happen as soon as I saw your name on that letter. I'm not sure what exactly your problem is with me, but we're going to have to fix it, because I'm sure as hell not messing this job up."

"It's not as if you've kept your problems with me a secret." James said, folding his arms, too.

"No, maybe I haven't, but at least you know what you're doing to make me mad," Lily said, her voice picking up in volume, "It's been sixteen years and I haven't the foggiest what's running through your head. I don't know what your vendetta against me is but it's getting really old."

"I don't have a vendetta against you." James said, quietly.

Lily threw her hands up, "You caught my hair on fire, for God's sake!"

"For the last time, Evans, it was an accident!" James shouted, "We got along perfectly fine in Diagon Alley a couple weeks ago, and now you're picking a fight like always."

"Me? Start this fight?" Lily was fuming, but she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, willing herself to calm down, "All I came down here to say was congratulations. So there you go. I'll see you at the feast." Lily turned and walked away without allowing James to say another word.

Lily set off to find Jasper's compartment, blinking back tears. That was not at all how she expected her first meeting with James as Head Students would go. If that was a glimpse into what the year would hold, Lily was terrified and disappointed. Her mind was wandering to different scenarios when she found Jasper's compartment. Straightening her posture and tucking her badge into her robes, Lily knocked on the compartment door.

* * *

"The bloody hell was that about?" Sirius asked, suspicious when James entered the compartment after his row with Lily.

"I was going to apologize about the hair-fire-thing, but she started yelling," James answered quickly. It wasn't technically a lie, it did get brought up, but he still felt guilty. "You know how the bird can hold a grudge."

"Didn't you apologize back at Diagon Alley?" Remus asked, a licorice wand in one hand, his regular wand in the other.

James froze. He was certain that his friends knew he was up to something, but he just couldn't admit it. He hated lying to them, but it wasn't that big of a deal and they would find out in a few hours. James was unsure why he couldn't get the courage to tell them. He knew he could only keep the secret until the beginning of the feast when Dumbledore announced the names, but that only made him more nervous. "Thought I'd do it again. She went mental though, always does."

The other three boys shrugged, accepting James's lie. "So I heard the new Defense teacher is fit." Sirius said, waggling his eyebrows at his friends.

"Who'd you hear that from?" Remus asked.

"I have my sources."

"Sod off, Padfoot." Peter said, a hint of a whine in his voice, "Don't try anything with this Defence teacher, it never works."

"Yeah, but what if she's really, really fit?" Sirius said excitedly, grinning.

"Then she's really, really out of your league." James said, throwing a box of Every Flavoured Beans at his mate. Despite what James said, Sirius had a way with women; he was incredibly charming. The rumors around the school said that Sirius was a serial womanizer, but James and the others knew that wasn't true. Sirius had been with a few girls, but not many more than James, and James hadn't been with many at all.

"Actually, it's alright, I've got my eye on someone else." Sirius said.

"Lily's with Jasper." Peter said. Even though he was talking to Sirius, James's stomach turned.

Sirius shook his head, "Not Evans. She's attractive, for sure, but she's reserved for someone else." Sirius shot a glance at James. James's mates knew, and annoyed him about it constantly, that he fancied Lily. "Marlene is more my type."

"Marlene Mckinnon?" Remus echoed. Sirius confirmed.

"I don't know, Padfoot," James said, "Marlene is like my sister." Marlene's mom was best friends with James's mom, and they had spent their entire childhood together. Growing up, Marlene was the only friend who lived on the same street as James, so they were always with each other. James could trust Marlene with anything, and he was certain she felt the same. In fact, whenever he had a problem that he thought he couldn't go to his boy mates about, he went to Marlene - a girl's perspective on issues is very important, James thought. Suddenly, James felt like an idiot. He could have owled Marlene about the Head Boy crisis, she'd have known what to do. It's not as though James didn't trust his mates, it was just easier to go to someone who wouldn't always take the piss out out of him for having problems like Sirius did. Most of the time it was alright, but sometimes he just needed Marlene.

Sirius looked at his friend in disbelief, "C'mon, mate, you know me. I would never hurt Marlene."

"Charlotte Johnston." Remus said under his breath, still loud enough for Sirius to hear.

"Oh, shut up, Moony, that was one time. Plus, she's perfectly happy with that Abbott bloke now. She's moved on, I've moved on, we're all fine and dandy."

"You've known Marlene for years, why the sudden interest?" James asked. He did trust Sirius, but if something bad were to happen, he wouldn't want a knife driven between two of his best mates.

"No idea. I talked to her on the platform today and she just seems like a cool bird." Sirius answered, simply.

James made a small shake of his head, "Remus, Peter, either of you have new-found love you would like to proclaim in the secrecy of this compartment?" Sirius frowned, but the other two boys burst out laughing. It had been 16 years with his mates and they still were able to take his mind off of anything with a good laugh. That, James decided, was the main quality of a best friend.

* * *

Lily saw Jasper look up to see who knocked on the door, his face stretching into a wide grin when he discovered it was Lily. She waited outside as he shot of his seat and slid open the door, leaning forward and kissing her softly. Inside the compartment were Jasper's Ravenclaw mates, Dirk Cresswell and Edgar Bones, who was a year younger than the others, and Amelia's brother. Lily like Jasper's friends enough, but she didn't know them all that well. She had spent a fair bit of time with Edgar while visiting Amelia, but they weren't friends.

"Hey, Lily." Greeted Dirk with a warm smile which she reciprocated. She sat down next to Jasper and leaned into him, his arm wrapping around her. She felt safe whenever he was touching her.

"How were your summers?" Lily asked, politely. Lily already knew how Jasper's summer had been, having spent a fair bit of it with him. Dirk and Egdar replied, sharing a few stories from the past two months. Lily laughed and smiled on cue, although her stomach was in a ball of knots. She wanted Jasper's friends to like her, so despite feeling a little ill, she acted as if nothing was wrong.

"So," Jasper said, casually, "Anything new happen since the last time I saw you, Lily?" His voice was hinted with sarcasm, it had only been a week since the two had seen each other last. He didn't know, though, that there was something new; something Lily was putting off telling him.

Lily inhaled deeply, then said, "Yeah, there is something actually."

Jasper cocked his head to the side, "Really? You're gonna tell us, yeah?"

Lily paused, looking at the floor, "I -uh- I got Head Girl." She said, making sure her eyes looked anywhere but at the three boys seated in the compartment. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest.

"Wow, congratulations!"

"Good job, Lily!"

Lily heard Dirk and Edgar's compliments, but Jasper had stayed silent. She turned her head, her stomach going haywire, to look at her boyfriend. Her face stretched into a smile when she saw Jasper staring at her, a grin on his face, and a look of awe in his eyes. "That's my girl." He said, folding Lily into a tight hug. He lifted her chin up with his hand and kissed her. She let out a sigh of relief, of finally having this load off her chest.

"Who's Head Boy?" Dirk asked.

Lily cringed. "Um, it's James Potter." She said slowly, waiting for the explosion.

"You're kidding!" Jasper said, very loudly. Lily made a small shake of her head, "How in Merlin's name did that - that _prat_ get Head Boy? Of all people in bloody Hogwarts and it's _him_. Oh Lily, I'm sorry."

"Er, it's okay?" Lily said, confused to why he was apologizing.

"I just know how much he bothers you and now you're going to have to deal with it all year, bloody hell."

Lily shrugged, "It doesn't really matter, as long as he does his share of the work." She said. She saw Jasper's face fall at her words, and she rushed to correct herself, "But obviously I would've much rather you - or anyone else, really - but I guess I have to play with the hand I've been dealt."

The thing about Jasper Corner is that he could be very hot-headed. He could get very angry, very quickly and Lily hated to admit it, but it scared her a little. He never let his temper go at Lily, which she was grateful for. Lily didn't like to think badly about Jasper,because she knew that she had just as many, if not more, bad qualities. She could be snarky and a know-it-all, she hated admitting she was wrong. But she never directed sarcastic comments -at least, not the mean ones - at him. Maybe that's what made them a good couple; they both had bad qualities but they didn't show the other person that side of them often. Lily knew one of the ways to calm Jasper down was to bring up his ego.

Jasper puffed out his chest slightly, "I probably would have been a better choice than James Potter, but I guess you're right. What's important is that no one would make a better Head Girl than you." Lily blushed and smiled, wrapping her arms around Jasper's waist just a little bit tighter.

* * *

Lily sat with her friends in the Great Hall, the sorting ceremony just finishing. Lily could feel the anxiousness in the room, everyone waiting impatiently for the feast to begin. Once the Sorting Hat had been carried away, Dumbledore stood. "I can sense everyone in this room is famished, so announcements will be made after the feast. Welcome to the new students, welcome back to the returning students. Everyone, dig in." Lily watched as the silver platters filled with steaming food.

"Do you remember being that small?" Amelia asked Lily, nodding her head toward the newly-sorted first years.

"It seems ages ago, doesn't it?" Lily answered. It felt ages ago, but at the same time Lily could remember her first day at Hogwarts like it had just happened. She remembered thinking it was all a hoax when she got to King's Cross and was told to board the train on platforms 9 and 3/4. She felt betrayed, thinking that SOMEONE had lied to her about Hogwarts, and that her sister was right, she was a freak. And when she had gotten to Hogwarts she was disappointed to be sorted into Gryffindor, a different house than that same someone (though the disappointment didn't last too long because Rose had been so friendly to her right away). Most of Lily's first Hogwarts experiences involved that someone she didn't like to think about too often - so she didn't.

Lily looked down the table and noticed that James's Head Boy badge was not pinned to his robes like Lily's. His head was thrown back in laughter, glasses slightly askew. Lily didn't know how his mind could be anywhere other than worrying about how he hadn't told his friends yet. But that was just another example of what made them opposites.

Lily, being an extremely observant person, noticed Marlene seated very close to Sirius. Marlene was grinning at something Sirius had said, her fingers brushing his forearm. Lily's eyebrows knit together, confused, and made a mental note to ask Marlene about it later.

Marlene Mckinnon was the most out-going in Lily's group of friends. She was daring, brave, and Lily looked up to her a lot. Marlene was always the one who had to convince the others into doing stupid things because she was always up for something new. Even Rose, who was in no way introverted, looked shy in comparison to Marlene. She had an effect on people that was hard to resist; partly because she was absolutely stunning - long, blonde hair and legs that went for miles - but also because she was incredibly confident. Marlene knew how to joke with people but also knew where the line was, yet she could also sit down, have a serious conversation and give really good advice.

Sirius being attracted to Marlene didn't surprise Lily at all. Marlene had her fair share of boyfriends during the course of their time at Hogwarts. Marlene was not the type of girl to abandon her friends while in a relationship, sadly like so many do. If she had been that kind of girl, Marlene would almost never be around because she was usually involved with someone, at the very least. Lily strived to be that girl too, and she hoped she was. Lily was slightly worried about Sirius because he had a notorious reputation, but she knew Marlene was able to spot liars from a mile away.

Lily and her friends ate their food, chatting idly about their summers or commenting about how Clara Montgomery from Hufflepuff looked a lot better blonde. "So how was Jasper?" Rose asked, who was seated across from Lily.

"Good as always." Lily answered. Lily knew her friends and Jasper got on well, so she tried to spend time with all of them together.

"And how did he react to the Head Boy news?"

"Not too well." Lily said, "Know what's strange, though?" Lily thought back to James without his badge.

"What?" Rose asked, taking a bite of her treacle tart.

"Potter hasn't told his friends about the position yet. He practically begged me earlier not to mention it to them. I thought it was kind of weird considering they're going to find out eventually." Lily said. Rose made a noise, pondering what Lily said.

"I guess they'll find out sooner than later." Rose said, her eyes on the Head table. Dumbledore had resumed his standing position. The Hall fell silent in a matter of seconds.

"Now that your stomachs are all full," Dumbledore began, "I hope that I can have your full attention. First off, I'd like inform you about a change in our staff. Professor Johnson will be our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I ask you give her all the respect you give to our regular staff." Lily could have sworn she saw Dumbledore's eyes flit to Sirius. A young, black haired woman stood from the table, a warm smile on her face. When she sat, Dumbledore continued. "Mr Filch would like to remind you that various Zonko's products are banned within our school, and a full list of these items is posted on his office door for clarification. I'd like to extend a warm congratulations to our new Head Students - Lily Evans and James Potter. If you have any questions, you may refer to these two. Now, I bid you all a fair night and may your dreams be filled with all sorts of happiness."

The Great Hall erupted into madness once Dumbledore sat down. Yelling voices and scraping benches filled the air, making the room quite chaotic. Lily followed her friends up to the Common Room, saying a few thank yous to the people congratulating her on Head Girl. Lily spotted James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter heading up to the boys' dormitories and she wished she knew how three boys were going to react to James's news.

* * *

James felt Sirius's eyes bore into him during Dumbledore's announcements, but he kept his gaze elsewhere. In fact, James felt the entire population of Hogwarts turn their attention to him, but he pretended not to notice. He hadn't realize Dumbledore had finished talking until Sirius was standing at his side, "Dormitories, now." Sirius said, his tone ensured that James had no choice but to comply

He hung his head, walking in tow behind his friends to Gryffindor Tower. People shouted well wishes at him, but he blocked out everyone. They were at the portrait of the Fat Lady quicker than he realized and he hadn't even made up a proper excuse to tell his mates. When they entered through the portrait hole, the boys immediately marched upstairs to their dormitiory.

When the door swung open, the room was already occupied by two other 7th year Gryffindor boys - Alex McLaggen and Mundungus Fletcher. James thought Mundungus was a sketchy guy, but he never really had any problems with him. Alex had always bothered James; his personality dripped of conceited arrogance - albeit, he really didn't have anything to brag about. James's friends didn't have a problem with McLaggen, but something about him had always been off to James. James had been called arrogant before, and he could be quite boastful at times, but never quite to the degree of Alex.

"McLaggen, Fletcher, out now." Sirius demanded, pointing to the door.

"Hold on," Protested Mundungus, "This is our dorm as much as it is yours, Black."

"It's four to two, you're outnumbered." Sirius said, unwilling to budge.

"We'll just be a minute," Remus jumped in, "Honestly."

The two boys headed for the door, though quite unwillingly. "I guess we're not good enough for Your Majesty, and Head Boy, James Potter." McLaggen said, rolling his eyes and leaving the dormitory. James wished Alex had said _anything_ but that.

As soon as Mundungus and Alex left, all the attention was directed at James. "So," Sirius started, "That was quite some news Dumbledore dropped."

"You were right, the Defense teacher _is_ fit." James said, jokingly. It was quite a bad habit of James's to crack jokes at inappropriate times. It was a defense mechanism, although usually just made people more angry.

"Not the time, Prongs." Sirius said.

"We spent the a good fifteen minutes of the drive to the train station talking about it, and what - I guess it just slipped your mind?" Remus asked. James felt guilty seeing that his friend looked genuinely hurt.

"Look," James said. He thought this whole thing was ridiculous. This didn't change anything at all, and he wanted to make sure his friends realized that, "You seemed upset that you didn't get it, Moony, and I didn't want to make it worse by boasting about it in the car." Remus stayed quiet.

"So is that what you were talking to Lily about in the corridor on the train?" Peter asked. James nodded, "That means you lied about apologizing to her about the fire." James was quite surprised by Peter, normally he avoided conflict and confrontation at all costs.

"I'm sorry, alright?" James insisted, "This doesn't change anything. I'm still Prongs...just with a stupid badge. I was scared you three would treat me differently if I told you." He felt quite idiotic for admitting it, but James was also relieved to have everything off his chest.

Sirius snorted, "Some Gryffindor you are."

James threw his hands up, "Well it's true, isn't it? You made that comment on the train about if Remus got it, we'd never get anything done with it weighing on our conscience."

"It's kind of true." Sirius mumbled.

"Well, that's just grand then, isn't it?" James said, feeling slightly defeated, "I'm being blamed for something I don't want. I would gladly pass this along to someone else if I could, but I can't. Dumbledore must've been plastered when he made the decision and now I'm stuck with it. Could you please just make some jokes about how I'm a push-over to the rules and we can all move on?"

Sirius grinned, "You are going to look like a prat with that badge."

James smirked, "And you're going to have to be seen with that prat."

"I feel like we're in the girls' dormitory right now with all this drama," Sirius said, "I say we go and play a round of exploding snap." The other three boys agreed.

Peter followed James out the door saying, "If it makes you feel better, Prongs, I'm happy for you."

James smiled and punched Peter in the arm, "It doesn't really help, but thanks for the thought."

And just like that, the conversation was dropped. Boys, at least these four in particular, had a talent at moving on. They could be in a fight one minute and laughing at each other's jokes the next. Maybe some things were brushed off too soon, but often that was better than keeping a grudge, holding in the emotions until they eventually boiled over. The seventh year, Gryffindor girls dormitory, however, was full of grudges. See, Rose Fletcher could be one of the sweetest girl ever, but she was also determined on making a certain girls life Hell.

* * *

**A/N**: There ya have it. It's almost Christmas and reviews would be better than any gift in the world.  
Any questions, you can message me at .com!


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